Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Oh, the embarrassment and utter humiliation - to be rescued from being stuck in a badger hole by firefighters. Well, that's exactly what happened to a dachshund in Bovey Tracey, UK. See where our tenacity gets us? The dachshund has chosen to remain anonymous, but here is his story from This Is South Devon:

A DACHSHUND was rescued by spade-wielding firefighters after being stuck for a day down a badger hole outside Bovey Tracey.The trapped hound disappeared down the hole in a bank at Higher Elsford Farm early on Monday.And a few hours after sunset he emerged bleary-eyed, but unhurt from his underground prison.Firefighters from Moretonhampstead grafted away with their shovels to remove the distressed animal.Fire spokesman Tony Hayward said: "They worked very hard. The only way to get the poor dog out was to dig him out."He went down early in the day and could not turn around in the tight space to get out again."He said the dog was visible to his rescuers throughout the ordeal."A good pair of long arms eventually scooped him out," said Mr Hayward.The dog, found to be in good shape despite his prolonged subterranean stay, was reunited with his owners.The alarm was raised just after 10pm.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

'Frank,' a 7-year-old smooth red dachshund from Tampa, Florida, suffers from IVDD: Intervertebral Disc Disease. In this informative news video, Frank gets spinal surgery from Dr. Gillian Irving, one of 170 board-certified veterinary neurologists in the world capable of performing this type of surgery. Glad to see Frank recovering so well. Read more at WTSP.com.

Learn about dachshunds and Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD) atDodger's List.What a great resource. There's always a link to Dodger's List in the links column on your right. They have a very active discussion list, and are real pros when it comes to offering advice for IVDD dachshunds and general dachshund health.

Meet pretty black and tan smooth 'Cammy,' who hails from Escambia County, Florida. After recently giving birth to puppies, a tree fell on Cammy's dog house during a tornado on March 30th, causing her to have a severe head injury. Her humans could not afford her surgery, and she was relinquished to the local human society. That's the BAD news.The GOOD news is that the humane society paid for her surgery, and although there are still some medical complications, Cammy is getting a new home! Read all about it at the Brewton Standard.

Monday, April 27, 2009

We'd LOVE to know who this year's champion is from the weekend's 12th Annual Buda Wiener Races in Buda, Texas...and maybe a pic, perhaps? Over 500 dogs competed. At least there's a fun news video of the event at News 8 Austin.

UPDATE April 28th, 2009: According to the official site, the 2009 winners were:

RUN WIENER RUN! Celebrating the saltwater breeze that blows onto the shores of the Gulf Coast, the 2009 Portland Windfest took place LAST weekend in Portland, Texas. Maybe it should be called Wienerfest instead of Windfest...over 70 dogs competed to be Top Dachshund in the wiener races. This video is great....don't miss the doxie chasing his ball down the track who suddenly stops at the finish line and turns around once he's got his ball....HILARIOUS!

2-time CHAMPION 'Wyatt Earp' defended his title. See more great pics at the Caller-Times.

This lucky Dachshund recently found a loving and caring home after being turned in to the Summit County Animal Shelter in Frisco, Colorado. The economy is being blamed for the rise in relinquished pets and the marked decrease in adoptions at the shelter. Source.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Best of luck to all the dachshunds competing in the 12th Annual Buda Wiener Dog Races in Buda, Texas, this weekend. Have a great time! This year's theme is Wienerdog Millionaire! Above, enjoy an awesome documentary by docubloggers which was put out shortly after last year's event.

Each year in Buda Texas the Lions Club host the County fair, and one of the featured activities are the wiener dog races. Now, people from all over the US bring their Dachshund to dress up and run!

Thanks to our good friends 'Oscar' and 'Hans' for sending in this nice training clip which appeared on their local Sioux Falls, South Dakota News! They note: there are some ADORABLE close-ups of the pretty weenie girl.No doubt!

Meet red smooth 'Sadie,' who hails from Crossett, Arkansas, population 6,097. Sadie's human is the founder of Choice Ministries, Inc., a residential home that serves girls with a number of “emotional” problems. Sadie is often able to connect with the girls the ministries serve before its workers can. “The dog seems to bring the girls some comfort,” her human said. Read about the program at The Ashley News Observer.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Greetings,My name is Barbara Lewis and I am with All Texas Dachshund Rescue. I am writing to you to make a plea for each and every one of you to send prayers and healing rays to sweet, little Joanie.She is a pathetic little thing that came into a shelter as a stray. The shelter sent out a plea asking for a rescue organization to take on, not only the care giving challenge of this dog,but the financial challenge as well. We (All Texas Dachshund Rescue) agreed to take that challenge and try our best to give this sweet little thing a second chance at life that she so deserves.Please remember Joanie in your prayers and if you can spare a few dollars to go towards her care, it would be greatly appreciated. She is a sweet little thing, and as long is she is up for the fight for life, we will stand and fight beside her all the way. Please read her story at www.atdr.org

Thanks to reader Kat B. for sending in this great old image from her vintage card collection. Our hearts go out to Kat who lost her red smooth boy 'Ziggy' just a few weeks ago. Don't miss his special tribute at Ramblings of a Crafty Mama.

Meet handsome wirehair 'Bart,' who hailed from Mifflinburg, Pennsylavania. Bart lived to the ripe old age of 16, and spent the last 1.5 years of his life on wheels. His humans talk open and candidly about taking care of a disabled dachshund: “We were able to do it because we work from home, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who has a full-time job,” his mom admitted. “It could be miserable, hard work.” That hard work included having to physically express Bart’s bladder, change diapers and wash his “clothes” several times each day. He had to be carried up and down the steps and the house was rearranged to make room for his cart.Still, his humans don’t regret the past year and a half. “The good months were really good,” said his mom.Read all about Bart in a nice article at The Daily Item. RIP little guy.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Proving once again that dachshunds are sleek, strong, short, and long, here's a dachshund news roundup on a wet Spring day, Monday, April 20th, 2009. Above, it's another puppy mill bust with lots of dachshunds, this time near Omaha, Nebraska. "Dozens of dogs" were rescued on Sunday. "Freedom at last for these dogs," said Nebraska Dachshund Rescue, Vice-President, Julie Siebler. Read more at Action 3 News. A couple of those dachshunds look oddly familiar.

Meanwhile, ninety-six dachshunds competed in the annual Doxie Derby wiener race as part of the University of California, Davis, annual Picnic Day on Saturday. An estimated 100,000 people turned out for the Picnic Day, of which the wiener races have been a part of for over 30 years! Enjoy this fun video from the event.

In celebrity gossip, there was BIG trouble at the home of Dachshund Lover David Hasselhoff last week. Apparently his dachshund killed his cat. 'He was my long-haired miniature dachshund, and she was an Abyssinian cat I bought for one of my daughters for Christmas six years ago, and he just killed it. And now we're probably going to have to get rid of him, too. Because once they do that kind of thing, it's too dangerous to keep them. So I suddenly won't have my dog or my cat.' Source.Please call The Dog Whisperer David. We're terribly sorry to hear about your cat, but at this point, your doxie needs his home.

More Dachshund TROUBLE: A wiener dog may have been the cause of a vehicle crash Friday afternoon in Fort Dodge, Iowa. The Blazer had stopped at the intersection when the driver's pet dachshund became tangled in her safety belt. She became distracted and proceeded to step on the vehicle's gas pedal, causing the Blazer to accelerate, striking the Pontiac Grand Am. The impact of the collision caused antifreeze from the Grand Am to spill onto the road. There were no injuries, and the dachshund was fine. Source.

And finally, stepping back in time to this day 70 years ago in 1939 in Ely, Nevada: Ely, beyond question, is Nevada’s greatest badger fightin’ town. Both Ely papers Friday gave a lot of publicity to the fight scheduled between “Copper King,” White Pine County’s badger, and “Gus” a German dachshund. A block on Aultman Street will be roped off for the bout. Source. PETA would've had a field day.

On May 29th the DogTown episode on National Geographic Explorer Network will include coverage of the Whispering Oaks Kennel puppy mill bust which occurred in Parkersburg, West Virginia last fall. Over 1,000 dogs, mostly dachshunds, were rescued in what may have been the largest puppy mill bust in history. Check your local listings for showtimes. Thanks to 'JBC' for the story tip.

If you haven't done so already, please head on over to Who's Your Dachshund and give generously in their Donate 4 Dachshunds fundraiser. Contributions will be split up between ten dachshund rescue organizations and animal shelters all over the world!

A local video company helped out by donating their time to create this really nice video for the cause. Can we get a woof?

We were Coke fans until we saw this pic of 'Pepsi' and 'Max!' We're switching! All the way from the United Kingdom, Sue writes:

Dear Joey and Maggie,

I enjoy reading your blog and thought I would tell you a little about my dachshunds. I've had dachshunds as pets since my teens, smooth, long-haired, wire-haired, standard and mini, I've had them all over the years. They are wonderful dogs, full of fun, courageous, loving and of course stubborn! At the moment I have two dachshunds, Max who is a red smooth mini who is nearly eight and my first puppy Pepsi (I'd always had rescue Dachsies before) who is a six month old mini wire-haired dog. Max took to Pepsi right away and they are best friends, in fact it has given Max a new lease of life, he's livelier and plays more since Pepsi arrived and his patience when the little one is chewing on his ear or tail is amazing!

As Brooke Astor's son stands trial in a drab Manhattan courtroom on charges he looted the famed philanthropist's $200 million fortune, her beloved dachshunds, Boysie and Girlsie, are living it up in Vermont."They're safe, they're happy, but they miss Mrs. Astor," said Molly Flint, kennel manager for Astor confidant and Guggenheim heiress Iris Love.

Who? We think you know! Bo Diddley (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008, born Ellas Otha Bates), was an original and influential American rock & roll singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He was known as "The Originator" because of his key role in the transition from blues music to rock & roll, influencing a host of legendary acts including Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation and the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (Grammy). He was also known for his technical innovations, including his trademark rectangular guitar.Up until now, the requirement for being listed in The Long and Short of it All's Popular Culture series is for the pop culture icon to be photographed with their dachshund. Unfortunately, we could not locate a photo of Mr. Diddley and his doxie. But, in honor of our First Dog, the Obama's naming their new Portuguese water dog 'Bo,' after Bo Diddley, we're letting this one slide. By all means, if anyone has a photo of Bo and his dachshund, or any more information at all, please send it in! Here's the dish about his dachshund from The Gainesville Sun:

Bo Diddley, whose given name was Elias McDaniel, loved dogs, according to his first-born daughter, Evelyn Kelly, and grandson Garry Mitchell.

His house dogs were more pocket-sized pooches, however. Mitchell remembers two of his grandfather's Chihuahuas, while Kelly said more recently he kept a dachshund named Whiskey.

Whiskey was part of a four-footed Diddley entourage that included a cat named China and several "outside" dogs, including two female Rhodesian ridgebacks, Yin and Yang.

All went to family members when Diddley died last June 2 at the age of 79.

'Whiskey.' We love it.

Keep up with the Obama's new puppy at Dachshund Lover Moira McLaughlin's Obama Dog Blog. It's Bo's official debut today!

Monday, April 13, 2009

Proving once again that you can never spend too much money on your dachshund, here's a dachshund news roundup on a seasonably cool Monday, April 13th, 2009. Can we get a woof?! Above, we may be in a recession, but for some animal lovers - nothing is good enough for the pampered pet. That includes a multi-million dollar diamond necklace. This smooth chocolate hottie is wearing a necklace that is worth $3.2 million. Source. Thanks to our pals Bogie and Monty for the link!

In show dog news, Paige Hartman, 4, of Strasburg, Pennsylvania, helps her mother, Tara Hartman, prepare 'William,' a black and tan long-hair owned by Linda Beamer of Hanover, for the Harrisburg Kennel Club Dog Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania on Saturday. Read all about the event at pennlive.com.

Kisses! In rescue news, meet red longhair 'Sophie,' and her human Lynne Van Luven, who hail from Birch Bay, Washington. Sophie is one of 150 dogs rescued from a Gold Bar, Washington puppy mill in January. Sophie was in poor medical condition after her rescue, but with lots of love and medical care, she's doing great. Read her story at The Bellingham Herald.

Please make sure to stop and visit Who's Your Dachshund, they have put together a great on-line fundraiser for dachshunds and companion animals all over the world called Donate 4 Dachshunds, and need your support if you haven't done so already!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

The first day of spring was once the time for taking the young virgins into the fields, there in dalliance to set an example in fertility for nature to follow. Now we just set the clocks an hour ahead and change the oil in the crankcase. ~Dachshund Lover E.B. White, "Hot Weather," One Man's Meat, 1944(Early 1900s postcard).

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Ch. Brentwald's 'Joshua,' the top winning wirehair of all time, with William Ake, who handled him throughout his show career. Joshua, whelped in 1946, was purchased from his breeders Mr. and Mrs. Howard Patrick by Mr. Ake in 1947, and sold to Herman G. Cox (Dychland Kennels) in 1949.

From Sunday's Dachshund Derby at Golden Gate Fields in Berkeley, California. The photographer notes: This little guy was dropped off a grooming table and it crippled his back legs. When he ran the race I think his wheels got stuck in the dirt but he did really well! A lot of other dogs went off course but he ran straight to his owner and finished just fine!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

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Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Meet 'Downtown Beans,' the hot smooth red piebald champion from Sunday's Dachshund Derby at Golden Gate Fields in Berkeley, California. Beans beat out 95 other wiener dogs to take her win. Wow! Read more about the event and see a nice video at Oakland North and in Monday's Dachshund News Roundup!

We've been pretty curious about the dachshund act in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Thanks to youtuberellieperry1 for documenting it. She notes: This video was taken at the Ringling Brothers Circus...They have definitely gone low budget but it was still cute.

Dr. Donald Hare with one of his dachshunds in the early 1960s. Dr. Hare was an engineer and founder of Thomson Grass Valley, a video technology company with 22 Emmy awards under its belt based out of Nevada City, California. The company turned 50 years old yesterday. Read more about the company at The Union.

That photo reminds us of this photo of E.B. White. There's always a dog behind the man.

Favorite Love Stories From The Archives

The Long and Short of Dachshunds in Popular Culture

FALL AND WINTER FASHION FOR DACHSHUNDISTS

Put a Dachshund in your lap, turn up the volume, and select the full screen button at bottom right corner of video to view full size.

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(Your hosts, Bette and Rowdy)

Do you know a special dachshund? Wait..., they're all special! Submit a dachshund news story and tell us all about it. We're always looking for fun dachshund news, stories, art, history, trivia, or articles. The only requirement really is a nice photo, video, or image to go along with it. Send it on to your hosts, Bette and Rowdy. Or just drop a line to say 'Woof!' We apologize that we can't always get back to everyone for every wonderful piece submitted.